Addicted
by Torchiclover22
Summary: [Harley x Joker] Harleen Quinzel is studying to become a psychiatrist, but her life will change after she visits the mall with her friend because of one psychopatic clown.


**First of all, I'd like to say that I'm not sure if this is going to be the /classic/ Harley. Probably the only similarities would be her appearance, her friends, her specialty and that's it. I don't really like the whiny Harley so I'll try not to make her that way, and make the two meet differently.**

Ugh.

Homework.

How ironic, I thought school was over when you graduated. Absolutely not, it just became a hundred times harder and more stressful. I was studying to become a physiatrist, the human brain, and the crazy people fascinate me. But this was becoming too much. My sleep schedule was flipped over, I was awake at night and sleeping in the daytime. Except for Sunday, when I slept eighty percent of the day and the rest I'd be out buying necessary living supplies or seeing one of my few friends. I always considered they were important in high school, but not anymore. School was my top priority, but I began to realize I forgot how to _live_.

I pressed the send button for this essay and sleepily crawled in my bed, deciding to view the morning news before falling asleep.

"-hasn't been seen for two whole weeks. The police are worried, thinking that he might be planning something big. If you see this man, please contact the police immediately, he is Gotham's most wanted!" the auburn haired News Reported said with a serious expression, staring almost robotically into the camera. A picture of The Joker with make-up appeared on the screen. He looked awesome.

My obsession with The Joker is an old story. In fact, he's not even my first obsession. Killers, but not pathetic ones who suffocate someone accidentally and then turn themselves in and feel sorry for their life while they rot in prison, no, not that kind. The serial killers that have so many expert policemen, detectives, hackers after them and yet they can't be caught. The Joker is the perfect example, he is absolutely fascinating. As crazy as it might sound, I'd give anything for a chance to actually _see_ him. Or a conversation with him. I had a lot of theories for his craziness, my number one theory being that he is not actually crazy. Maybe a traumatic past, who knows?

When I was in high school I had always dreamed that _I_ would be the one they showed a mugshot of on the big screens all over the city. The one batman would tirelessly look for all day long. I was never an empathetic person, I just couldn't feel bad when people got killed. But those thoughts have been pushed into the back of my mind for a long time now, they are highly unrealistic and I knew it. Psychiatry is my only hope for actually being someone right now, and I could live with it for now.

The dreaded calendar was on my nightstand. It always disappointed me, but I dared take a look. With a sigh I released the anxious knot that was in my stomach because of the stress all week long.

Tomorrow would be Sunday.

And after that Sunday, the Spring holiday. I was free for a week.

I turned the TV off and tucked myself in the thin sheets, falling asleep in mere seconds.

"Rise and shine, darling!" shouted an excited Pam while shaking me. "Whaddyawant?" I muttered sleepily, glancing over at the clock. Eight AM! "Come on you lazyass, you've been sleeping for more than twenty-four hours! We're going to a pa _rrtyy!"_ she said excitedly and pushed me out of the bed. I groaned and opened my closet, searching for something to wear, but luck was on my side today.

"I can't go, I've got nothing to wear." I said, unable to hold back a smirk.

"Even better, we're going shop-ping!" Pam's features lit up every time shopping, parties or the like were mentioned. Her true passion, however, was plants. I made a mental note a long time ago to try my best not to mention plants, trees, nature, as they all set off Pam to give me the longest and most emotional speeches about how heartless people are to destroy nature. She even confessed she cares about a plant's life more than a human's, which is understandable.

Today was _not_ my lucky day. "Fine." I sighed, defeated, and got dressed into casual clothes. I was ready in fifteen minutes, but of course I had to wait for Pam. She just started applying make up, and I knew just how long that takes. "We are going to be late if you don't hurry up, Pam!"

"Take a chill pill hun, the party's just tonight! Besides, you never know when you'll meet your significant other!" I rolled my eyes and made myself a cup of coffee. With how long she was taking, I had more than enough time to drink it.

"All ready!" said Pam as she was putting on her high heels. I knew all too well she was going to whine about her feet hurting tonight.

"I'm driving!" I said as I grabbed the keys, locked the door and got into her black Mercedes. Her parents were rich and bought her everything she wanted. I couldn't afford a car yet, and I was glad she was not the in-your-face about her wealth type, I felt kind of bad for not being able to afford half of the things she has. My parents weren't poor, but they weren't rich either, and taught me to work everything I had from a young age so I didn't dare ask them for more money. They probably won't send me a cent once I get a job.

We both got into the car and sat on the light leather seats. I loved this car, and to be quite honest with myself, I liked the fact that Pam was rich. I didn't try to use her for money, of course, but I secretly enjoyed the parties she drags me into and her expensive possessions. It inspired me to work hard and hope that one day I'll be able to afford all these things. They didn't mean that much to me but it certainly made life more enjoyable.

After a boring ten minute ride in which Pam was just blabbering about what type of dress I should get, we finally arrived at the mall. We exited the car and walked into the too familiar building. My best friend seemed to be so happy, I really couldn't understand why, but I'm not one to judge weird obsessions, am I?

"Welcome home!" shouted Pam, gaining a few looks from passerby, but she was used to it. She was pretty crazy _and_ gorgeous, so stares were not unusual at all. Men always compliment her and try to pick her up at bars, but she surprisingly isn't the flirty type, so they just get a cold shoulder. I rolled my eyes and we proceeded to walk into the nearest store. I saw a seemingly cute dress on the rack and picked it out. It was black, sleeveless, the classic dress, but I liked it.

"What do you think?" I asked with a grin, holding out the dress for her to see. She shook her head, disappointed. "No, no, no! Harley, this is a special night, you can't go out in this dress!" she said as she put the unworthy dress back. I knew it was no use arguing with her, so I just sighed and followed her quietly, accidentally knocking off a box. She seemed to be so concentrated, picking out various dresses in all colors, shapes and sizes that I wondered what happened if somebody created a mall with plants, it's likely she'd go crazy. She shoved a few dresses in my face and sent me to the dressing room, but ended up getting none as they didn't fit or look bad on me, and walking out of the cheap store. After a long walk through the gigantic mall we entered a familiar shop I recognized as Pam's favorite. Truthfully, I hoped she didn't find anything that fit me here, they were all very expensive and I was saving up for a new phone.

"How about this one?" She asked holding out a scarlet dress with lace on the chest. It was above the knees, and I had to admit, it was absolutely gorgeous. "Pam, it looks great." I said and got changed in the dressing room, silently glancing at the price tag. One thousand euros. "Oh my god, you look absolutely gorgeous!" she gasped and made me do several pirouettes in front of the mirror. I really did look nice in it.

"Pam, it's one thousand euros." I muttered. "That's like most of the money I saved."

She stared into my eyes, attempting to do the dreaded puppy eyes, and the fact that her green eyes looked stunning certainly didn't help. "Come on, Harls, you haven't bought a dress in forever! You look great in this one, you have to buy it! Pretty pretty please?" She grinned, and I knew there was no getting out of this. I sighed and finally gave in.

"Okay, fine." She squealed and hugged me tightly "Can't. Breathe." I muttered, returning the hug. She was right though, I really did need a new dress. I ruined all the other ones, it just seemed like I didn't like dresses and they didn't like me, so I made a mental note not to let this money go to waste. Buying yet _another_ one was something I simply could not afford.

After I checked out at the cashier, we exited the shop and both of us agreed on grabbing some coffee. It was going to be a long day, so we walked around the mall for a bit until we stumbled upon a classy-looking coffee shop, named La Folié. It was full, apparently people loved to go out on Sunday mornings. Left with no other choice, we chose a table in the back but fortunately we weren't ignored by the waitresses, so we placed our order. I got a double espresso and Pam a hot chocolate, she didn't like coffee. She didn't really have any reason to drink it either, even though she was studying to become a botanist day and night, her energy never ran out. I wish I was like that.

After a short wait, our drinks arrived and the waitress placed them down on our table with a fake smile. "Enjoy your drinks!" she said before quickly walking to another table to take a different order.

"Well, this was fast. We should leave a tip." Muttered Pam while slowly sipping her hot chocolate. I did the same, but my coffee was way too hot.

"Mhmm. So how's your botanist work coming along so far?" I asked, ninety nine percent this would stir up a discussion to fill in the unusual awkward silence between the two of us. Her features lit up, and I knew this was going to be a loong talk, but I didn't really mind.

"Great, actually! I'm starting to do my own experiments outside of school work. In fact, I even discovered a poison! I tried it on a mouse and it died, how cool is that?"

Oh, the irony. She always had a soft spot for nature but she speaks so lightly of an animal's death and she tests her stuff on living things. I guessed she didn't even care about the animals, plants were the spotlight of her mind.

"That's great. But please be careful, Pam. I don't know what I'd do without you." I said with a short smile, aware of the fact that I didn't exactly give the best compliments.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine! _You_ are the one we should be worried about, Harley! You barely have time to sleep and most days you look like a zombie." I chuckled, she was right.

"I know, Pam. I don't know what to do about it either, believe me, I just have too much work to do. I don't have enough time to finish it all."

"Maybe you should take it easy for a while. I mean, a few C's won't ruin your career, right? " she offered, but she didn't really understand the position I was in, all the teachers viewed me as their pet and, whenever I didn't know even the most insignificant detail, they all became very disappointed in me. I hated this life, I really did, and I _craved_ freedom, I missed living and not being a zombie, as Pam pointed out.

"You're right, but I can't. I miss living, I really do, Pam, but you know the teachers view me as their god-damned pet. I don't really know what to do anymore, it's driving me insane." I chuckled and sipped from the coffee which cooled down enough to be drinkable. "I have a feeling I'll get an internship to Arkham before I even begin working there."

Suddenly, a sound pierced through my ears and, judging by Pam and everybody else's panicked expressions, I wasn't the only one who heard it. It was an explosion, without doubt, and the fact that the safety alarm of the mall went off confirmed my thoughts. Everyone including Pam and I rushed to the entrance, but of course 'luck' was on our side, as always, and we were placed in the back of the shop. I sighed, trying not to think of it, and just kept pushing people away in order to reach the entrance and hopefully escape, but a few armed men with clown masks pointed guns at everybody, so the mall went silent.

I cursed myself for hoping that The Joker would show up. And he did.

From the smoke caused by the fire in the mall appeared none other than Gotham's most wanted criminal, looking better than ever, with his makeup freshly put on.

'Oh my God, this is the best day ever!' I thought, fangirling inside of my head while analyzing my favorite serial killer, studying him from head to toe while I was able to.

"I'm glad you could all make it to the parrty!" He said with a huge grin painted on his face, literally and figuratively. "I hope you enjoyed the fireworks." His tone changed from a happy go lucky one to the most menacing voice I'd ever heard! I wasn't afraid, but I had to remind myself that he is a serial killer after all and if I wasn't careful, I could be dead in mere seconds. And I did not want to die, not yet at least, I hadn't even finished college for God's sake.

"Do you know what people do at parties?" he asked a random person from the crowd, but he appeared to be frozen in fear. The Joker was obviously disappointed, so he shot the guy. It shocked me a little, but the adrenaline I had flowing through my veins made it insignificant. I stared at the dead man, making a mental note not to fuck with this crazy guy if I didn't want to end up like that old hag sprawled across the floor.

"At parties, we play games!" The Joker said cheerfully, eyeing a few people. "So who wants to vo-lun-teer?" he asked, skipping through the crowd of people, and pointing at three random humans.

"restrain these three, and-uh" he commanded "that one."

I realized he meant me.

Me. I froze, but was quickly grabbed by a henchman and had a gun pointed at my temple.

I didn't even know how to react. Should I be scared? Should I be glad? I was just confused, why me? Did he notice me staring? I took a short look to my best friend, poor Pam was panicking so I winked at her in an attempt to calm the freaked out botanist down.

"The rules are pretty simple!" He said, handing me a gun which I took with no further objections. "You have to kill two of these people, and only let one live!" He laughed, and suddenly his tone changed into a growl. How does he even do that? "If you don't, these uh, people, _will_ die." He turned to me, his amazing black eyes that I will probably remember for the rest of my life stared into mine, and growled: "I'm a man of my word."

He ordered his henchman to set me free. I wasn't stupid enough to try and shoot the Joker ( I wouldn't want to do that anyway, to be honest ) so I just approached the terrified victims. All three had a knife to their throat in case they dared to try and escape. My gaze hovered to the first one, it was a woman, appearing to be in her late forties, she probably had children, but they should be grown up by now.

I swallowed and asked, trying my best not to allow my voice to tremble:

"Why would I let you live?"  
I could feel the Joke's gaze on me the whole time, and this made me highly uncomfortable. The fact that I could hear him laughing from time to time certainly didn't help my confidence, but then again, I was pretty sure I didn't quite understand his most likely sick humor.

The woman began crying and sobbing, "Please, please, let me live! I am a successful judge, I help society every day, please!" she managed to say through the possibly fake tears. I raised an eyebrow, unconvinced by her pleading, when she added: "I also have two children, you must let me go!"

I said nothing, but turned to the following person. It was a boy, a young boy. He was wearing a cap on which _'SWAG'_ was written, a golden necklace and baggy clothes. I had to contain myself from giggling under my breath, this is exactly what the guy who used to bully me when I was ten looked like, this one is certainly not going to live. He didn't even manage to say anything. "What a coward." I muttered, momentarily forgetting about the situation I was in, and the fact that I was at Joker's mercy. I actually kind of.. enjoyed the fact that I had power, but I didn't consider this to be low or strange, as most people liked to have power and be in control, but most just didn't want to admit it.

I turned to the last one. It was a girl, appearing to be in her teens. "And you?" I asked, and the girl turned to me, staring me dead in the eyes, no sign of fear in them. "You can kill me. Save the boy over there, he probably has a future." She mumbled the last part, and a loud, maniacal laugh reminded me of Joker's presence, so I tried to hurry up with my thinking.

I stepped back and shortly looked at Pam. I could see it in her eyes how terrified she was, so I decided to finish this as fast as possible. I aimed the gun at the boy, and pulled the trigger.

The whole room gasped, obviously disappointed in my choice, only one laugh was heard, and you can probably guess who it belonged to. I stared at the cadaver, I wasn't quite sure if it was dead or not, but I wasn't willing to take a chance and shoot him again, what if it was against the 'rules'? I turned to the woman, aimed my gun, closed my eyes and pulled the trigger. A headshot.

The adrenaline I had flowing through my blood prevented me from feeling any kind of remorse, so I just handed The Joker the gun. He was laughing, so he must be happy, right? I was still excited that I was in his presence, so I took a last look in his eyes before saying. "Happy?" I asked lowly, not exactly expecting a response.

"Ve _rr_ y. Happy. Good girll. Goood girl!" He said excitedly, his tone changing from word to word.

 _How does he do that?_ I wondered as I observed him skipping from body to body, then he ordered the henchman to let the girl go.

"You made a very wise choice, _Harley_." He laughed as he stared into my eyes, obviously trying, and succeeding, to intimidate me, but that didn't make him look any less fascinating.

"Uh, thank you?" I asked awkwardly. I was in a VERY awkward situation, and I was VERY known for my awkwardness, and I probably don't have to mention my VERY awkward responses in awkward situations.

The Joker grinned, and I could see his sudden mood swing after he approached me, and whispered in my ear. "I'll see you. SOON."

Then the room became smoky, and in a minute The Joker and his henchman were gone.


End file.
